Barcelona and Rosehips

Rosehips are weird. I never know if I like them or not, and from all I heard and read it was always too risky to pick myself. Under ripe and apparently the seeds have dangerous or unpleasant effects on your throat and digestive tract, over ripe and it's hard to prepare them.  I always avoided rosehips until recently when just a couple of days before my summer holiday to Barcelona my fiancée's mum gave a good bagful of the cheery red baubles. I won't lie, although I recognised them, I was at a complete loss as to what to do with them. Eaten alone (seeds and all), they tasted okay, kind of earthy with a twinge or what might be called sweet or berry like. Standing in my kicthen after a brief search through the web to see what I could do with them in a short space of time, I found a recipe for a quickbread and candied rosehips, both of which were delicious. The quickbread is citrusy and sweet, coupled with the fun crunch of poppy seeds. As can be seen, it goes perfectly with a good mug of tea.

Once again I felt let down by Spain. This time I went with my then boyfriend, and now amazing fiancée. We landed in Catalan and endured a brown and withered landscape drive to Barcelona where to my dismay at least we found the place not brightly coloured and vibrant with life as expected, but more overcrowded with slum-like dusty houses - one of which was our apartment for our stay. Within four days I had been robbed twice and totally dependent on my other half but despite that it wasn't all bad.

The whole holiday was wonderful in so many ways, and we saw some breathtaking works of art. Gaudi's Cathedral Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família was one of the highlights of our trip. As we stood in the main worship hall gazing around at the glory engulfing us, it felt like I had found a place so permeated with God, we spent most of the visit in awed silence, walking around wondering how one man managed to not just think up this grand design but also get a plan together enough to make it reality. The city was quite fun too in hindsight, we found an amazing little fondue restaurant called La Carassa tucked away in an alley with low lighting, embroidered drapes around the place with friendly and humorous waiters. We had an amazing fondue with crayfish and rustic bread; the night ending with a red carnation as we left the cosy nest to tipsily trundle through the night life of Barcelona.

Our flight home was uncomplicated and as we landed back in England, I heaved an internal sigh and I don't know about you but to me, it's good to be back home.

Rosehip Quickbread
(makes a 2Ib loaf)

Ingredients:

• 4-5 Clementines, peeled and puréed plus water to make up to 1C/240ml
• 0.5C/120ml Dried mixed fruit
• 0.75C/180ml Rose hips, seeded and chopped
•  2Tbsp/30ml Butter, melted
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1-1.5C/360ml Plain flour
• Scant 1C/200g Sugar
• 1tsp/5ml Baking Powder
• 0.5tsp/2.5ml Bicarbonate of Soda
• 0.5C/100g Mixed nuts and/or seeds
• I used 1Tbsp of Linseed, 1Tbsp Wheatgerm and 2Tbsp Poppy seeds

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix together: orange juice, mixed fruit, rose hips, butter and egg.
2. Sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and sugar.
3. Add Dry mix to wet mix and stir until just combined. Fold in the seeds gently.
4. Spoon the mixture into a greased loaf tin (8" x 5"/20cm x 12cm) with a lined base and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350F/175C/GM3.5 for about an hour.

How about a cake missing its main three elements?

Is anyone else loving the smell and sight of spring? I walked through an abandoned apple orchard today and as I entered the narrow gap, startled a young doe.  Blossoms were beginning to erupt but it will be several weeks yet before the whole orchard comes into bloom.  Walking down a path lined with pink blossom trees, I remembered the day a funnel of petals were gracefully swirling around me as I cycled to work. It is times like that where I realise and appreciate not just how breathtakingly splendid creation is, but also how transient. Walking down the same path today, the trees are still pink but missing most of their delicate blooms, which were instead adorning the green grass below.

Sitting here still giddy from the sun, I want to share with you yet another gluten free recipe. SPLAT! duty was last week, with the additional request, that not only that these should be gluten and dairy free but now also egg free. So the main components of a cake is basically, dairy (butter), wheat (flour) and eggs.  What happens when all three elements are removed? Some trawling through websites later and I found a perfect recipe on a food forum found here. I am a bit against gluten free flour although must admit it is good in a pinch, but they cost so much I've taken to making up my own mix.  I tend to use 1 part gram flour to 3 parts rice flour. I suspect fine cornmeal (polenta) can be used in place of rice flour too as that is cheaper still! When I get round to trying it, I will report back. Basically I find gram flour adds structure to a cake and acts in many ways as flour does. Its only downfall is its pungent taste when used in too high a proportion and undercooked; blend it with neutral flours though and it acts as a cheap alternative to gluten free flour.

Wandering down South Park today, we encountered a bright red ice cream van. One Mr. Whippy ice cream later, I happily stroll home, with the sun warming my hair celebrating the promise of more such days to come .  Below is my adaptation of the recipe provided in the link above.

Pear Cupcakes
(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

• 25g/1oz Gram Flour
• 75g/3oz Rice Flour
• 1tsp Baking Powder
• 0.5tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 50g/2oz Brown Sugar
• 1 Ripe Pear, grated
• 2Tbsp Golden Syrup
• 4Tbsp Sunflower Oil

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to GM5/190C/375F
2. Sift the dry ingredients (minus sugar) into a bowl to remove lumps, stir in the sugar and mix to combine.
3. Finely grate the pear directly into the bowl, discarding the resultant lump of skin and pips and mix until well combined.
4. Pour 1Tbsp of oil oil into the bowl then measure out 1Tbsp of golden syrup then repeat with the oil then golden syrup, then add the last 2Tbsp of oil. This helps the syrup not to stick to the spoon! Beat or whisk the mixture until well combined then spoon equally between 12 cases. 
5. Bake for about 25 minutes until browned and springy to the touch. 

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Muffins

Every month or so I have cake duty for SPLAT! at St Ebbes, a play group for toddlers where mummies can enjoy a slice of cake, hear about Jesus and just socialise.  I get the special dietary requirements duty and I've had some good results and some not so good results when trying to produce cakes and biscuits which contained no wheat, milk, butter, oats.... apart from the Tunisian orange cake and layered chocolate cake, the rest tend to either go stale immediately or taste powdery and dry, or worst: taste and feel disgusting, so much so I feel bad handing them over!

My birthday was in December and amongst my wish list was a dinky little book written by Jennifer Katzinger, founder of the Flying Apron Bakery based in Seattle.  Apart from type errors regarding number of muffin cups to pour batter into, it is a very good read and the recipes work beautifully - well the two that I've tried.  I won't lie, the batter looked unpromising, but the result was magic.  There's no other word for it when I think about what goes into your typical muffin: flour, butter, sugar, eggs.... all of which are absent from these deliciously soft muffins.  If you're intolerant to gluten or dairy, or just vegan, this book is amazing.  Naturally the honey is easily interchanged with agave nectar or maple syrup.  Below, I'll leave you with two recipes adapted from my beloved copy of the flying apron's gluten-free and vegan baking book.

Carrot Muffins
(Makes 16)

Ingredients:

• 1C Rice Flour
• 1/2C + 1/8C Gram Flour
• 0.75 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 0.75 tsp Ground Cinnamon 
• 1/2C Groundnut Oil
• 1C Water
• 1C Honey
• 3 Sm Carrots, Finely grated
• 1C Unsweetened Dessicated Coconut
• 1C Chopped Mixed Nuts
• 1/2C Mixed Dried Fruit

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to GM4/180C/350F
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, water and honey.  In another bowl mix together the carrots, nuts, fruit and coconut, and in a final bowl, mix together the rice and gram flours, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda.
3. Whisk the flour mix into the wet mixture until well combined.  Fold in the carrot mixture until just combined and divide among muffin cases.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the tops are  golden and firm to the touch.

Lemon & Poppy Seed Muffins
(Makes 14)

Ingredients:

• 1.5C Rice Flour
• 3/4C Gram flour
• 1.5 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1/2C Olive Oil
• 1C Water
• 1/2tsp Cider Vinegar
• 1/2C Maple Syrup
• 1/2C Golden Syrup
• Zest of 2 Lemons
• 1/3C Poppy Seeds 

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to GM5/190C/375F
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, water, vinegar, golden and maple syrup.  In another bowl, whisk the rice flour, gram flour, bicarbonate of soda, poppy seeds and lemon zest together well.
3. Whisk the dry mixture into the wet mixture until well combined.  
4. Pour the batter evenly between about 14 muffin cases and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.

Savoury Canapes and a Gluten-Free Cake

A view from my bedroom

Like many others in the South of England I woke up find a surreal wonderland blinking back at me in the late morning sun. You know how when your part of the world is just blanketed with this smothering, fluffy, white sheet, how the light quality subtly changes but it takes a while to realise the cause?  I love that feeling, it's not very often one gets to experience it, all too soon the chaos of snow catches up with us and we soon wish it gone again.  Although laughed at when I first bought them, my new snow grips have proved to be a Godsend.  Unlike many I have the freedom to roam around the outdoors relatively freely, to really enjoy the snow without fear of slipping ungracefully - not to mention probably painfully on to my unsuspecting behind! With my magical shoe attachments, I was free to buy food for my house Christmas meal with pleasure, not to mention collect my missing button from a lovely elderly woman down the road who I work with.  With that I will stop going on about how much I love my shoe chains and talk about things related to my blog, that's right food.

Gluten-free Layered Chocolate Cake with Clementine and Cognac Whipped Cream

I love December, it's the season of festive eating not to mention the one time it's perfectly acceptable to pile on the pounds without comment.  So far I have had several Christmas dinners in the form of Latin-style tapas, traditional four-course vegetarian meal Exeter-College style with carol singing in-between courses, Asian buffet and two house ones in the guise of "practice" and "real".  Other things I get excited about this season are the carol services by candlelight and festive craft evenings where delectable canapés are served around talented women.  This year I failed to make an appearance due to going on a last minute dancing weekender which was fantastic, but not before leaving my canapé contributions for the church.  Last year I went for tomato and basil puff pastry stars but this year I went for slightly more daring and chose: savoury filled mini palmier, goats cheese filled profiteroles and mini cheese and tomato filled scones (Recipe below).  My house mate and I were just discussing how at first sweet things are gushed about but without fail, the savoury (unless they're boring dry sandwiches) bites will always go first, why is that?

My Canapé selection for the Craft Evening

I had great fun making the canapés, especially the palmier which were easier to do than I imagined.  They will definitely be made again.  The Profiteroles as you can see from the photos are unfilled, and I don't recommend filling them until they're ready to be served as they then can't be re-crisped in the oven.  Upon saying that though I tried one (or five) filled after a day and although not crispy they still had a wonderful taste and texture, they're just that bit nicer straight out the oven.  With that I leave you with a handful of canapé recipes, and a cake recipe which is coeliac friendly that I made for our "real" house Christmas dinner.

Layered Chocolate Cake
(Serves 10)

Ingredients:
Cake:

• 250g Dark Chocolate (around 70%)
• 190g Butter/Margerine
• 3Tbsp Rum
• 125g Ground Hazelnuts/Almonds
•  - Flour can be used if not required to be gluten-free
• 5 eggs
• 190g Granulated Sugar
• 1tsp Baking Powder
• 4-6Tbsp Apricot Conserve
• Icing to dust

Cream:

• 300ml Double Cream
• Zest and Juice of 1-2 Clementines
• 1Tbsp Brandy

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to GM3/160C/325F and line a swiss roll/baking tin
2. Over a double-boiler, melt the chocolate and butter together gently, stirring until smooth and glossy.  Remove from heat and stir in the alcohol if using.
3. Meanwhile, whisk eggs and sugar together until the mixture thickens and falls in thick ribbons rather than a thin stream.
4. Gently fold in chocolate mixture until no streaks remain and repeat with the flour.
5. Pour into the tin and level, then drop carefully from a height of about 10-15cm to remove large air bubbles and bake for 20-30 minutes until a skewer comes out with a few crumbs on. Leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes.
6. On a cooling wrack, place a liberally pierced baking paper to line it and transfer the cake onto it to cool completely.  Score across the long part of the cake to divide it into three equally.  
7. Once cool, cut one slice and transfer to serving dish/board. Beat the apricot to loosen and spread liberally across the sponge.  Top with a second piece of cake and repeat with the jam and top with the final piece.  Trim the ends to neaten and dust with icing sugar and Clementine zest.
8. Cream: To make the cream, pour everything into a jug and whisk until soft peaks form.

Homemade Tomato Paste

(Makes enough for all canapés listed)

Ingredients:

• 400g Tinned Tomatoes
   -plus swill water - 1/4 can
• Olive Oil
• About 100ml of red wine
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove, crushed
• 1 Carrot, finely ch

Method:

1. Gently fry the onion and garlic until softened.
2. Add the wine and bubble away for a few minutes and add the tomatoes with a 1/4 can water to swill out the can. Bring to the boil and simmer moderately partially covered until reduced by half.
3. Blend roughly to thicken the sauce.  I used this one batch for my mini pizzas, palmier and scone filling.

Savoury Palmier
(Makes lots)

Ingredients:

• One block Puff Pastry (500g)
• Sundried Tomato Paste or Homemade Tomato Paste (as above)
• A few Basil Leaves, shredded
• 50g Soft Goats Cheese, crumbled
• A few Black Olives, finely chopped
• 100g Mature Cheddar Cheese, finely grated
•  Salt and Pepper

Method:

Left to right: Unbaked, puffing up in the oven to the finished palmier

1. Cut the pastry block into 4 lengthwise so you end up with 4 long thin strips.
2. Roll out each separately on a lightly floured surface until about 3mm thick - try to roll so that the rectangle shape is maintained.
3. Spread two of the rolled out sheets thinly with tomato paste, sprinkle thinly with a mix of olives, basil and goats cheese. On the other two sheets, spread moderately with grated cheese, salt and pepper.  Maybe add some very finely chopped onion, chives or shallots. 
4. Roll lengthways from both ends so they meet in the middle and fold over each other.  Roll lightly into shape and chill for 5 minutes in the freezer, wrapped in cling film. 
5. Slice just less than 1cm thick and lay out on a non-stick baking tray. Reshape if necessary by pulling apart the rolled bits a bit and pinching the fold lightly to form a heart.
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven GM7/220C/430F for about 20-25minutes until golden.
7. Cool on a cooling wrack and pack into airtight tins.  These can be re-heated before serving by giving them 5 minutes in a hot oven (at least GM6/200C/400F)

Mini Star Cheese, Chive and Mustard Scones

(Makes lots)

Ingredients:
Scones:

• 175g Self-Raising Flour
• Salt and Pepper
• 25g Butter
• 1 Med Egg, beaten
• About 30ml/2 Tbsp milk 
• Handful of Chives, chopped
• 1-2 tsp Wholegrain Mustard
• 75g Mature Cheddar Cheese

Filling:

• About 4 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• About 50g Full-fat Cream cheese
• Chives or Shallots, finely chopped

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to GM 7/220C/425F and grease a baking tray.
2. Mix together the flour, salt and pepper then rub in the butter.  Reserve a handful of cheese for the topping and stir in the rest along with the chives.
3. Add the egg and enough milk to make a soft dough.  Roll out to about 1.5cm/0.5" thick and use mini cutters about 1-1.5cm/0.4-0.5" diameter to cut out as many shapes as possible and place evenly on the baking tray.  These will not spread much so you can happily put lots on, just make sure there's a bit of a gap between each.
4. Brush the tops with milk then sprinkle with cheese and bake for 8-10 minutes until risen and golden.
5. Leave to cool then cut in half. Spread one side thinly with tomato paste, the other with cream cheese.  Sprinkle some shallots or chives on and sandwich together. 

Mini Wholemeal Pizzas

(Makes 15-16)

Pizza Dough:

• 100g Plain flour
• 100g Wholemeal flour
• 1tsp/7g Yeast
• 125ml Warm water

• Homemade Tomato Paste or tomato purée
• Spinach, sliced thinly
• Cheddar Cheese, finely grated
• About 8-10 Black olives, finely chopped
• 1-2 Shallots, finely chopped

Method:

1. For the dough: Mix the yeast and water together, combine all the dry ingredients together and pour in the yeast mix and mix to make a dough. 
2. Transfer to a surface, lightly floured if necessary and knead until smooth - about 5 minutes
3. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes and proof.
4. Pre-heat oven to GM9/240C/465F. 
5. Divide into 15-16 balls, and flatten into discs.
6. Spread with tomato then top with cheese, shallots, olives and spinach.  Don't over-top or it'll go all soggy and horrible.
7. Bake for 10-20 minutes until the cheese is all melted and the base look slightly golden.

 

Savoury Filled Profiteroles

(Makes about 30)

Ingredients:

• 60g/2.5oz Plain flour
• 50g/2oz Butter
• 150ml Cold Water
• 2 Large Eggs
• Salt and pepper

Filling:

• 500ml Cream
• 100g Goats Cheese
• Pinch of salt
• Handful of chopped chives
• Ground Black Pepper

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to GM6/200C/400F.
2. Melt the butter and water together as fast as possible then remove from the heat.
3. Beat in the flour until a ball forms.
4. Beat in the eggs gradually and continue beating until a creamy and shiny mixture results.
5. Season then pipe onto two greased and dampened baking trays.  Each ball should be about a teaspoon's worth of Choux pastry.  Leave at least 2cm between each all - I fit about 15 per tray.
6. Bake for 10 minutes then increase the oven temperature to GM7/220C/425F and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden.
7. With a pair of scissors, cut the profiteroles at the top to let steam escape and cool on a wire rack.
8. Meanwhile make the filling: Mix together the goats cheese, cream and chives together.  Season with salt and pepper then whisk until thick enough to pipe.
9. When cool, pipe each profiterole with the cream mixture.  

Orange and Lemons...

For a short period in October, the theme appears to be orange and black - you guessed it, it's around the time of Halloween.  I really dislike this combination, although I am a huge fan of the saffron orange which just conjures up the impression fiery warmth and life.  Another reason why I love the colour orange is that it reminds me of the fruit as well, which comes in beautiful gluts at this time of the year.  Naturally then, this glut will feature somewhere in the form of a cake, and this happens to be one of my all time favourite cakes.  Tunisian orange cake was first introduced into my hemisphere as I worked at Harbour Lights behind the bar.  It is in effect a light citrusy sponge drenched in an orange syrup and tastes much better the next day as the flavours mingle and time has allowed the sponge to really absorb the syrup.  The recipe was found in a Waitrose Kitchen magazine (Oct '10) as a feature of a family-run cafe called The Main Street Trading Company which resides in Scotland.  If you're ever around the area, check it out, it looks so inviting!  In the meantime though, I leave you with their recipe.

Tunisian Orange Cake

(Serves 8)

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 45g Polenta
• 200g Caster sugar
• 100g Ground almonds
• 1.5tsp Baking powder
• 215ml Olive oil
• 4 Eggs, lightly beaten
• Zest of 1 Orange
• Zest of 1 Lemon

Syrup:

• 45g Granulated sugar
• Juice of 1 Orange
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1/4 of a large cinnamon stick

Method:

1. Line the base of a 19/20cm cake tin with baking parchment and grease the sides with some oil
2. Mix together the dry ingredients of the cake: polenta, almonds, baking powder, caster sugar and zest.  Beat the eggs and oil together, then whisk into the dry mixture.
3. Pour into the prepared cake tin and put into the cold oven.  Switch on the oven to GM 5/190C/375F and bake for 50-60 minutes, until lightly golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre.  Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.  
4. Meanwhile, put the granulated sugar, orange and lemon juices and cinnamon stick into a pan and heat until all the sugar is dissolved, stirring often. 
5. Skewer holes all over the cake and pour the syrup over the cake gently, giving the cake time to absorb the liquid.  Place a baking tray underneath the cake to catch the juices!

Much to do about a Pumpkin

What does usually think of when Halloween once again pops overs for a visit? Well in this household it is what to do with the Jack-O-Lantern left behind? Leave it to go mouldy and try to dispose of it without touching it? Or, chop it up and make it into hearty meals thereby giving Jack a purpose to his short life other than to look spooky-but-not-really for one night.  Naturally we chose the latter, and so jack soon became among other things, part of a lasagne, soup, quick bread and pie.   Jack, you have done well and we look forward to seeing you again next year!  Until then, below will be a record of your invaluable contributions to our happy bellies.

Pumpkin Lasagne:
(Serves 4)

This came about as a result of copious bottles of opened red wine sitting around and a craving for something indulgent but wholesome and a need to empty some almost-finished boxes of lasagne sheets.  I used tinned plum tomatoes, as I don't know about you but for some reason I really do not like the taste of chopped tomatoes!  Try cherry tomatoes too, they are divine in a sauce.

Ingredients:


Red Wine Sauce:

• About 400g Pumpkin, cubed (1cm)
• 1 Small Pack (250g) Spinach, Chopped
• 2 Red Onions, chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed and chopped
• 1 Carrot, Finely chopped
• 1 Celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1Tbsp Fresh Sage, chopped
• 400g Tin of tomatoes
   -Plus 1/4 Can Water to swill and add to pot
• 200ml Red Wine
• 1Tbsp Oil

White Sauce:

• 1tsp Dried Thyme
• 300ml Milk
• 25g Butter
• 1Tbsp Flour
• 50g Strong Cheddar Cheese, finely grated
• Nutmeg, grated

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to GM6/200C/400F
2. Coat the pumpkin with oil, salt and pepper and roast in oven for about 45 minutes until tender
3. Coat the base of a large pan with oil (I used sunflower), add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and gently heat for about 15 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally. 
4. Add the red wine to the vegetables and simmer uncovered gently for about 5 minutes to evaporate the alcohol, then stir in the sage, tomatoes and water.  Break up the tomatoes and stir to mix, then bring to the boil and simmer partially covered for 20-30 minutes gently until all the vegetables are tender.
5. Meanwhile, pan-fry the spinach in a little oil, and season with nutmeg and pepper.  Set aside.  (I actually used mature spinach from the garden which takes slightly longer to cook, but equally delicious).
6. Heat the milk and add the thyme until almost boiling.  Remove from heat, season and leave aside to infuse.
7. Blend the red wine sauce until mostly smooth and stir in the cooked lumps of pumpkin.  Season with salt and pepper.
8. To make the white sauce, melt the butter gently until sizzling, add the flour and stir over a low heat to cook for about a minute.  Stir in the milk gradually over a medium heat to prevent lumps (whisk if lumps form or keep stirring) until the sauce thickens.  Season and set aside.
9. Assembly: In a oven-proof dish, layer half the red wine sauce, top with half the spinach then sheets of wetted lasagne sheets.  Top lasagne sheets with the remaining red wine sauce and spinach then another layer of wetted lasagne sheets.  Press down the sheets gently to level and pour over the white sauce.  Top with the grated cheese and put the lasagne in the oven for about 30 minutes until the whole thing is bubbling hot and the top golden.

Pumpkin and Ginger Teabread:
(Serves 10)

This recipe was taken from the BBC Good Food website which was mildly adapted to suit my caeliac of a housemate to be gluten-free.  It's best served warm straight from the oven in my opinion or microwaved for a few seconds on high later on.  Other than plain and simple, I liked spreading Nutella on top of my slice for a little bit of chocolate naughtiness.  I made this in a tray baked for about 50 minutes but of course times vary with ovens or tins used.  The site recommends 50-60 minutes in a 2lb loaf tin.


Ingredients:

• 175g butter , melted
• 140g clear honey
• 1 large egg , beaten
• 250g raw peeled pumpkin, coarsely grated
   -(about 500g/1lb 2oz before peeling and seeding)
• 100g light muscovado sugar
• 350g Gluten-Free self-raising flour
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/ fan 160C. Grease and line the base of a tray bake with baking paper.
2. Mix the butter, honey and egg and stir in the pumpkin or squash. Then mix in the sugar, flour and ginger.
3. Pour into the prepared tin and sprinkle the top with the demerara sugar. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. Serve thickly sliced and buttered.
   NB: I found with gluten-free flour the cake was slightly more fragile, so handle with care!

Pumpkin Pie
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

Filling: 

• 300g Pumpkin, cubed (1cm)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Courgette, sliced
• 1 Clove Garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1 Small Onion, chopped
• 1 Carrot, finely chopped
• 1 Celery, sliced
• 100g Green Lentils
• 1/4tsp Dried Tyme
• 1 Tomato, cubed
• 150ml Red Wine
• 200ml water (made up with courgette pan juice)
• 2Tbsp Soya Sauce

Topping:

• 3 large potatoes (about 300g), peeled and quartered
• 1 Small Bunch Dill (25g)
• 1Tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
• Knob of butter
• Splash of milk

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to GM6/200C/400F
2. Boil some water with a bay leaf and enough to cover lentils generously and cook for 30-45 minutes until tender.
3. Coat the pumpkin in oil and season before roasting for 30-45 minutes in the oven until tender.
4. Heat some oil in a frying pan and pan fry the courgettes over a high heat until lightly singed and withered. Season and set aside.
5. Swill out the pan and make up to 200ml to make some stock.
6. In a pan, coat the base of the pan with oil and add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery - cover and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
7. Add tomatoes and cook until softened then add wine and simmer for 5 minute uncovered to evaporate alcohol.  Add the stock, bay leaf, thyme and soya sauce, bring to the boil and simmer covered for about 20-30 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
8. Meanwhile, boil some salted water and cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender.  When cooked, mash with butter, mustard and enough milk (about 75-150ml) to make a smooth spreadable mash.  Stir in the dill and season.
9. Blend the sauce when ready and stir in the pumpkin, courgettes and lentils then seaso.
10. To assemble: Pour the filling into an oven-proof dish and top with the the mash, level out roughly and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until bubbling hot and golden.

Autumn Harvest - Apples

Finally, we have come to this beautiful time of year again where the temperature is starting to fall, the air is slightly crisp and the leaves are gradually donning their gilded coats of golds, russets and saffron.  Autumn is my favourite season visually, in terms of the smell in the air - slightly toasty and earthy and of course the abundance of delicious food.  Cue, plump squashes, leafy spinach, chard, various stoned fruits and of course rosy apples and juicy pears!  Goodbye Mediterranean, hello homey comfort food.

Last week, my house mate and I went scrumping for apples in the derelict orchard down our road which our wonderful nature loving neighbour brought to our attention.  Previously we have drenched our shoes as we trudged about picking brambles and plums in the wet forest, so this time we had the bright idea (well at the time) or wearing flip flops which resulted in a slightly treacherous session in the forest among the clumped nettles, thorny bramble vines snaking across the floor and vertical twigs grappling to skewer our feet.  All in all though,  some tree climbing and clever dodging later, I was triumphantly walking home with my apple bounty.  At home though, after filling a bucket, the problem arose of what to do with it all?

So in the near future, expect lots of sweet apples treats to be popping up!  So far, I have made rum soaked apple layer cake (yummy but ugly), apple crumble (naturally), apple cupcakes, apple and custard muffins, potato and apple boulangère (Not recommended) and the list will hopefully go on.  Until next time, I leave you with an apple and custard muffin recipe adapted from my M&S cakes books.

Apple and Custard Cakes:
(Makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

• 90g Butter
• 110g Caster Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 110g Self-raising flour
• 30g Custard Powder
• 2Tbsp Milk
• 1-2 large apples (200g total), cored and thinly sliced
• 1Tbsp Extra butter, melted
• 1Tbsp Ground cinnamon
• 1Tbsp Sugar

Custard Filling:

• 1Tbsp Custard Powder
• 1Tsp Sugar
• 125ml Milk 

Method:


Custard Filling:

1. Mix a little milk with the custard and sugar to form a paste.  Heat the remaining milk, mix with paste and heat gently until thickened.  Cover and leave to cool.

Cake mix:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/GM 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Beat together butter and sugar and custard powder until soft and creamy, then whisk in eggs gradually.
3. Whisk in the milk and fold in flour until just combined (a figure-of-eight motion with the whisk is very effective).
4. Divide half the mixture among the paper cases, top with custard, then finish with distributing the last of the cake mix among the 12 cases.  Top with sliced apples, pressing in slightly and bake for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1Tbsp sugar with ground cinnamon and set aside. 
5. Turns cakes onto a wire rack, brush with melted butter then sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon mix. Leave to cool on the wire rack or serve warm.

Apples and Midnight Baking

It's that time of year again when apples fall in prices in shops and the apple trees dotted around start to shed their fruit, plopping them lightly onto the wet grass below.  Since starting this blog, I have become a lot more aware of fruit trees and brambles, which makes walks that much more exciting.  Cycling past my neighbour last night, out walking his dog, we stopped for a while to have a chat which is when he showed me his "scrumping" bounty - a bag full of crispy looking apples fresh from the orchard straight down my road which I never knew existed before then (the orchard not the road, I'm not that oblivious).  Happy times, I will be sure to go foraging around there later!

Apple and Cinnamon Cupcakes 

In the meantime though, I have been blog hopping around the net looking for healthier cupcake sites which is when I came across Anecdotes and Apples, which was filled with wonderful wholesome and homey looking recipes - all vegetarian with a good selection of vegan too.  I came across two recipes which just called out to be made together: apple dapple cupcakes and apple buns.  The cupcake recipe is actually for 24 muffins, so I divided everything by a third which yielded enough for 12 normal cupcakes.  I think I replaced the cream with crème fraîche and quartered the frosting recipe and still had some left over - perfect to go on my apple buns if I so wish.  I also left two unfrosted as they're scrumptious as they are, maybe with a dusting of cinnamon as well...  Originally I thought it would be a good idea to make these before church but that turned into after church then much later after church... Needless to say it was gone midnight by the time I had a batch of lovely bread rolls and cupcakes - but I think there are much less pleasant things to go to bed to than the warm and spicy scent of sweet cinnamon, not to mention the anticipation of waking up to fresh bread!  I halved the bread recipe and reduced the cupcake recipe so ended up only using the one apple - next time though I feel I would happily add an extra one to the bread (the season of apples is oh so near).  Whilst the bread was proofing I made the cupcakes, which gave me something to nibble on whilst the bread was baking - all in all a fun process albeit kind of late... For the bread, I think it needed a longer second rising and/or more flour - but I did try the lower end of the recommended amount of flour and second rising; pushed for time towards the end (bed was calling).  The resultant bread was slightly sticky and elastic - although not unpleasant, just different but still tasty! Next time...

Anyway to end, I highly recommend you visit Monet's blog, it's packed full of wholesome ideas, the next thing to have caught my attention is the avocado pound cake, I have a glut of avocados which need eating and this sounds perfect! In the meantime though, I'm off for a cup of tea and an apple cupcake.

Mmmm, cupcakes

Wow, it really feels like it's been a while since I updated this blog.  On the bright side though, it must mean I am actually becoming busier and my blog addiction is subsiding somewhat... but on second thoughts, I'm completely happy to be blogging again so maybe it hasn't subsided that much!  Over the last week, it seems as if I have been baking every day in one form or another.  Gingerbread men were cut, cupcakes for picnics and birthdays were whipped up, shortbread ducks and stars were created and a frugal hotpot made from the contents of my magical fridge which still does not look as if it is emptying any time soon.

I have not been the most organised of humans this week, so I thought it would be safer to stay indoors as much as possible to minimise being a danger to myself.  I felt it was going to be one of these weeks.  So far I had managed to mistake a friend coming over on Monday when it was actually Tuesday,  triple-booked myself on said Tuesday, having to reveal my embarrassing blunder to get myself out of two appointments and proceeding to cook an awful lunch for a friend who I was meant to have met Tuesday but postponed until Wednesday...  And today I had an enjoyable walk into town (so far so good...) to the Gloucester Green food market with my friend.   This was my first trek to the market in what feels like months (and it probably was) and I was greeted by a beautifully colourful sight.  Casually sitting on the tables were summer squashes, and other modest vegetables but the fruit stand was a glory to look at: mounds of rosy cheeked apricots, succulent plums, peaches and nectarines, towering punnets of cheap cherries, raspberries and blueberries.  I was also excited to see raw beetroot, which I was inspired to give a go by Designer from our weekend together.  Whilst queueing,  I managed to lose a £2 coin which was upsetting and hit by a sudden downpour of water which has somehow collected in the tent top.  I was rather fuddled by this as I had not realised it had rained today, but it was still sunny when we left the market, so we had time for tea in a Coffee Republic and proceeded to miss the dry spell and got poured on as we ran to Waterstones for shelter.  Quite a feat considering I was lugging an impressively heavy food laden backpack and my friend a bag of delicate soft fruits!  A leisurely read of the River Cottage Preserves Handbook later and a tentative glance outside the second storey window, and we were ready to brave the walk back home which promptly led to a blister forming which became ripped and painful, successfully rendering myself incapable of dancing tonight.  Every cloud has a silver lining though, we ended up curling up to watch Singing in the Rain instead which I had forgotten how much I had loved.  So it looks like my week of bad luck hasn't run dry yet, let's hope tomorrow will be better!

I do like to digress, but back on topic, below are two recipes for mocha cupcakes and shortbread.  I missed my friend's birthday over the month of July due to caring for my mum so I made him a very belated mocha cupcake and mini duckie shortbread instead.  The Shortbread recipe was based on a Delia Smith Recipe which can be found on her website - I just replaced the cornmeal with rice flour as I found cornmeal weirdly chewy the last time I used it.  I love all kinds of shortbread but my favourite are the thin and crispy ones which make me feel more saintly until I realise I have just eaten the whole batch.  The mocha cupcakes I kind of made up on the spot using basic cupcake knowledge.  I wanted to use coffee, so increased the flour to 125g from 100g, but added the standard 25g cocoa.  I used about 2 Tablespoons of hot coffee in the end, so wasn't quite sure how they were going to turn out!  After a 15 minute wait of suspense, the cupcakes came out wonderfully moist and soft.  I really recommend them if you're a coffee lover. With that I leave you and hopefully I'll make it to update again soon still in one piece!

Mocha-Choca Cupcakes
(Makes 16-18)

Ingredients:

• 100g Margarine
• 125g Self-raising flour
• 25g Cocoa
• 2Tbsp Very Strong coffee
   - I made mine with 3tsp coffee granules in 4Tbsp hot water
• 2 Eggs
• 45g Dark eating chocolate 
• 15g Butter
• 80g Icing sugar

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy
2. Gradually whisk in the eggs
3. Carefully and gradually whisk in the coffee - don't worry if it curdles a bit - just add some flour
4. Mix together the flour and cocoa, then fold into the mixture until just incorporated
5. Spoon teaspoon mixtures into cupcake cases until 3/4 full
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until risen and the sponge bounces back when lightly pressed.
7. Leave to cool and make the chocolate icing
8. Melt the butter and chocolate together over a double boiler or carefully in the microwave.
9. Stir in the icing sugar and add enough coffee (preferably hot) to make the icing either spreadable or piping consistency.
10. Pipe or spread onto the cool cakes and leave to set.  Before it sets, I added some white chocolate stars to the frosting.   

NB: With the chocolate icing, I only made enough for about nine of my cakes as I: i) prefer some un-iced and ii) only wanted to ice a few for my friend's birthday presentation.  Just double the recipe (chocolate, icing and butter) to cover all the cakes.  If you are spreading, you'll probably have enough with just the half recipe.  I use cheap dark chocolate for this as I still get a glossy frosting and the sugar content works better than expensive dark chocolate which tend to be more bitter.

Shortbread Thins

(Makes about 2 trays worth)

Ingredients:

• 40g Rice Flour
• 75g Plain Flour
• 40g Caster sugar
• 75g Margarine or Butter
    - I used half of margarine and butter

Method:

1. Pre-heat Oven to gas mark 2/150C/300F
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light
3. Add the flour and rice flour, mixing to form crumbs.  Push the mixture together with the wooden spoon or your hands until it resembles a crumbly ball of dough.  
4. Roll out thinly - about 3mm and cut out shapes with a cutter
5. Place on a non-stick/greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until just golden.

A Lazy Sunday

The Girls came over from London and Southampton on Saturday, which turned out to be a stormy day filled with torrential rain.  Nonetheless, we had amples of fun buying an ambitious amount of alcohol and mixtures and slogging home in the downpour.  It was lovely catching up with them, as I have not seen some of them for over a year - another scary indication of how fast time flies.  Originally we were planning on a cocktail session at home, then a leisurely mini pub-crawl.  One pub later and we were back in the house sipping hot chocolate and ready for bed!  How the times have changed and I really am beginning to feel old! Luckily for me, I was not the first to cave so the "host" can not be blamed for the end of the "party"...

 

My messy worktop

A morning chat, some rustling and mini activity of packing later and I hugged The Girls goodbye.  The end of one event and another unexpectedly appears.  One machine wash load later and I found myself entertaining The Anthropologist and Pixie Boy.  Originally I was supposed to have met up with people from Ceroc in University Parks for a picnic.  Needless to say, by the time I had finished two wash loads, made a batch of coconut cupcakes and for Mini to come over, it was hardly worth the hour and half trek to the picnic.  Sabotage was in order, so a quick text later and we were off to our own picnic in the park down the road... which I must say I approved of much more.  I am all for energy conservation and a walk longer than an hour just seemed unnecessary on a Sunday afternoon.  Another friend met us up in the Park, contributing Jaffa cakes and giant chocolate buttons and we were set to enjoy a beautiful afternoon which turned into an equally stunning evening.

Raspberry-Filled Coconut Cupcakes

(Makes 10-12)

Ingredients:

• 50g Butter
• 50g Self raising flour
• 50g Dessicated coconut
• 50g Caster sugar
• Raspberry Jam
• Icing Sugar to dust

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy
2. Gradually whisk in the egg
3. Whisk in the coconut
4. Fold the flour into the mixture until just incorporated
5. Spoon teaspoon mixtures into cupcake cases until 3/4 full
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until risen and the sponge bounces back when lightly pressed.
7. Leave to cool and make beat the jam in a bowl to soften
8. Cut a cone out of the centre of each cake, fill with jam and replace.
9. Dust the cakes with icing and enjoy!  

NB: I wanted to make a small batch of cupcakes for a small picnic and made these.  I wanted frosting but from experience knew it would be hard to transport so opted for a filling instead, which means if need be, the cupcakes can be stacked.  

A Weekend in Bridgwater

Vegan cupcake with raspberry butter cream frosting

Last weekend I visited Designer in her home town near Bristol.  The train journey up was surprisingly smooth, but alas I can not say the same about the journey back due to a mix of badly labelled and positioned trains and confusion over stations, which led to mad bolting towards unknown platforms and hopping on random trains.  I know. Mad. Returning to Oxford only half an hour later than expected though was acceptable to me and overall the weekend was a wonderfully packed one full of baking, eating, baking, drinking, baking, make-over, films and fruit picking.  Did I mention baking?  What more can one ask for?

Beetroot Risotto with crème Fraîche and dill

Arriving late Friday evening, we settled down to a beautiful beetroot risotto made by Designer, which was a stunning characteristic blush red.  Washing it all down with a small glass of Rhône, I can happily concede the weekend had well and truly started.  We had a lazy start the next day, watching Saturday morning cook shows on the TV whilst it showered in the grey outdoors.  I had to admit I was hoping for a sunny day - but I speak too soon.  As we were leaving to go find a Pick Your Own (PYO) Farm, the sun blazed out and burned the remaining clouds away, leaving us to a beautifully bright and mild day with a playful wind teasing us.  After getting slightly lost down a maze of brambles-lined country road, a friendly local redirected us to the PYO, which turned out to be closing the very next day due to reaching the end of their season.  Determined, we trundled down the extensive farm looking for raspberries and gooseberries and found both.  A fun, albeit slightly prickly session later, we left with a punnet of white and black gooseberries and sinfully sweet raspberries, basking in the sun with a farm-made ice cream.  A short drive later and we found ourselves walking down beside the locks, gazing at the canals, blackberry bushes and sloe berries.  It was too early to pick anything yet so no foraging, but the delicate purple blackberry flowers were a delight to look at nonetheless.  We enjoyed the last of the sun for the day sitting outdoors enjoying a traditional cream tea whilst watching a wasp trying to engulf a jam splodge.  Quite amusing really!  Supper that night was a lovely simple dish of smoked salmon, prawns and lemon spaghetti dish in a crème Fraîche sauce, this time accompanied by a Rose Pinot Grigio.

PYO Farm showing raspberries and black gooseberries

As evening approached, we perused gingerbread recipes and finally alighted onto one found the in the Hummingbird Bakery Book.  Instead of using the specified list of spices though, we substituted the equivalent amount in gingerbread mix, lovingly made up by Designer's mum.  The smell was divine, and we hadn't even baked them yet.  Patiently we tucked the dough into the fridge to allow the flavours to develop over-night as we turned to making grilled pepper salsa which tasted heavenly with toasted pitta strips and tortilla chips, which we happily munched with Pinot Grigio and watching Disney's Beauty and the Beast.  Tonight was finished with a rich chocolate mousse hiding brandy-soaked black cherries in the bottom, with delicate almond macaroons we made earlier along with the mousse.

 Cream Tea by the Locks

Sunday morning was a relaxed affair, once again watching addictive cookery shows and sipping tea.  Eventually we naturally migrated to the kitchen to start some much anticipated baking.  Upon commenting on the sadly steep continual rise on dairy products, especially butter, we settled for vegan chocolate cupcakes adapted also from the Hummingbird bakery with the intent of decorating them in butter cream later.  The mixture resembled a stiff chocolate paste, resembling more brownie than chocolate cupcake, but in the oven it went with the two of us each believing it would not rise due to how heavy it looked.  In the meantime though, we had fun rolling out the gingerbread dough and making little boys and girls.  A check on the cupcakes and to our delight, the mixture had ballooned and we had cute round cupcakes waiting to come out, trading their oven space with the gingerbread people.  We watched part of Gigi, one of my all time favourite musicals before realising that time really wasn't on our side.  Off to the kitchen we ambled to get started on decorating.  A hilarious session later, we finally had icing the right consistency to pipe: white glace for the gingerbread people and a raspberry tinted butter cream for the cupcakes.  With the kitchen a tip, although filled with lovely aromas and baked treats, I realised I was about to miss my train if we didn't leave pronto.  A fast pack-up later (in which time, Designer had thoughtfully layered some gingerbread friends into a box for me) we were out the door speeding towards the station which mercifully was a short distance away.  With the arrival of the train, our weekend together came to an end, and we said our farewells.  I was about to embark on a complicated journey home, on a mission to reach my church service on time; Designer was headed back to her now "slightly" chaotic kitchen and I had gingerbread friends to keep me smiling all the way home.

 Gingerbread Making Fun

Who said birthday parties were for kids?

Today was another beautiful Sunday.  At the end of the morning service whilst socialising with the church family, a friend of mine I have not seen in a while brought up the fact that today was her birthday - the one occasion where we can be spoiled and celebrate!  She chose to do so with a tea party, so with a few hours to spare I went home to bake a batch of cupcakes as I didn't have time to find a last second present.  When in doubt, one can not go wrong with cupcakes I feel.  I decided to make a lemon and poppy seed cupcake batch (recipe below) but didn't really have the time to rummage for a recipe, so hoped it all turned out OK in time for the tea party by adapting a Victoria sponge recipe I luckily have handy in my head.  I decided to frost some of the cakes in a lemon butter cream with pink edible sparkles.  One word of warning though, if you ever think about pouring a teaspoon of milk from a 4 pint bottle, just don't and pour it out into a smaller container/jug.  I managed about half a spoon, wanted more and promptly got a good glug of milk ruining the lovely consistency of my butter cream.  Running out of time, I did not think to pour some out then thicken up with more icing sugar, so having gone through an unnatural amount of icing sugar, I ended up with a huge batch of not quite firm buttercream.  Promptly piping the icing on to the cupcakes, they were then jammed into a round tin.  My theory was that if they were crammed tightly enough they'd survive the bike journey I was about to inflict on them, runny icing and all.

Someone's cake stand containing scrummy chocolate cake

The day was quite cloudy but warm and merry all the same.  I made a pit stop outside another friend's flat en route and we walked together to the Birthday Girl's burrow - round tin of cupcakes fighting against the bungee ties I strapped around them to my trusty pannier.  Upon arrival we wound our way round their shabby chic flat to the back, which was transformed with bunting hung up around the garden with tea sets and platters of finger sandwiches and sweet treats strewn around the grass.  What a wonderful sight!  Tucked into a corner, made (as we found out later) from deck chairs and Cath Kidston fabric was a cute tent for the kiddies and a picnic blanket completed the scene.  The cupcakes surprisingly survived the journey intact and was a popular hit with the guests.  I think I managed return home after evening service with two left which I promptly took photos of before engulfing - naturally washing it all down with a mug of tea.  Another week gone, and another satisfying end to it.

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes
(Makes 12)

 Non-Iced Cupcakes, still yummy!

Ingredients:

• 100g/4oz Plain flour  
• 1.5tsp Baking powder
• 100g/4oz Margarine
• 100g/4oz Caster Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 150g/6oz Icing Sugar, sifted
• 25g Butter
• Zest and juice of one Lemon 
• 2-3tsp Poppy seeds

Method:

1. Weigh out all ingredients and leave to reach room temperature.  Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180C/350F and line a muffin tin with cupcake (or muffin) cases.  If using cupcake cases, you might need two tins.  I happily about 18 cupcakes with my mixture quantity. 
2. Beat the margarine, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds together until pale and creamy.
3. Beat the eggs and gradually whisk into the mixture.
4. Fold in the flour and baking powder.  Alternatively use self-raising flour and miss out the baking powder (I just didn't have any to hand at the time).
5. Pour teaspoons of the cake mix into the cupcake cases until about a third filled.  Same applies to the muffin cases.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and the centre springs back when lightly pressed.
7. Meanwhile, beat the butter and gradually adding sifted icing sugar to avoid lumps.  Thin with lemon juice and continue to beat until pale and creamy.  If you want, thin with some milk too for a richer butter cream.
8. Transfer to a piping bag/tube and once the cupcakes are cool, pipe on in a circled spiral to form a small mountain of frosting.
9. Don't think about taking the fresh batch on a bike ride, instead leave to set a while and enjoy in the comfort of your home with a cup of tea.

NB: Although I made cupcakes, there was enough mixture to make 12 muffins.  Usually I use a 3oz/75g quantity and 1 large egg. 

Also sorry for the awful photo qualities, they were taken at night/when the light had disappeared. 

Au Revoir?

For now, this post will be short as it is not my happiest, albeit I hope it doesn’t give a depressed feel either.  I guess I'm just feeling a bit nostalgic, dreaming of the days when decisions weren't so hard to make or implement, and friends were conveniently clustered into one easy to reach area.  The time has come yet again when mass goodbyes are to be had.  Not only am I returning to my beloved Oxford, but a colleague at work is also leaving.  Unlike me though she is definitely leaving whereas I am still not sure.  Like the Terminator, I will be back... maybe.  It's a sad time, and doesn't appear to be getting any easier.  Just as I re-acquaint myself with everyone in the bustle of Southampton and get to love them all again, I up and leave them once more.  I guess I miss belonging to one area as well, it's strange being a drifter - finishing university is a lot more than just no more lectures, it cuts one loose like one can not ever have imagined.  Suddenly I am asking myself where I belong, must I move on? Settle where I am? Go back home? Or is now really the time to break free completely?  Scary.  I suppose I will feel better once I find a job and when my lack of income can stop making me feel so insecure.

In the meantime though, I continue to bake and write in my blog, and below is a variation of the chocolate sponge cake  I thought I would try out for my leaving colleague.  Once again I had issues taking the cake off the DIY cake rack and was sad to see that icing sugar made the whole thing horrible to look at, so take two on the other side of the cake, I used my remaining flaked almonds and some sugar to dust the cake instead.  Result? Better, but I need to find a way to stop my cake sticking.  Maybe next time I will cool the sponges on sugar dusted greaseproof paper, which is what I do when I make Swiss rolls.  I made the cake in the evening, so no natural light was to be had, I tried dimming the flash a bit but to no avail.  So if you all see a psychedelic cake, I apologise in advance.  It looks normal on my monitor…

Lemon Sponge Cake
 (serves 8)

 
 Ingredients:
100g Self-raising flour
125g Caster sugar
4 Large Eggs
1Tbsp Water

Zest of  Lemon
Juice of half a lemon
25g Butter
3 oz Icing sugar
25g Flaked almonds
Sugar to dust

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/170C/350F
2. Over a gentle double boiler, whisk the eggs, lemon zest and sugar together until tripled in bulk.  This took me just over 5 minutes to whisk by hand using a large whisk.
3. Remove from the heat and continue to whisk for about 2 minutes until the mixture has cooled.
4. Dribble in the water down the side of the bowl and sift in the flour.  Using a figure-of-eight motion, fold in the flour with a spatula or metal dessert spoon until just incorporated.
5. Pour evenly between the two sandwich tins, level and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and beginning to shrink from the sides.  If the sponge springs back when lightly pressed it is ready.
6. Meanwhile, allow the butter to soften before beating and gradually adding the sifted icing sugar.  Add enough lemon juice to make a spread able consistency.
7. Turn the cakes out onto cake racks to cool and sandwich together with the lemon butter icing, then sprinkle with almonds and sugar to garnish.

NB: You could sprinkle the almonds onto one sponge before it enters the oven to get toasted almonds - they might stay on better as well.

A slice for you and I

I decided to stay home today to accompany my mum who's still recovering post-surgery.  We spent the day shredding my private documents which had accumulated over the space of a few years and oh my goodness; we filled two bin bags and that was excluding blank envelopes, leaflets, catalogues, etc... I have to say though, looking at my room you still can not tell I have just removed two bin bags worth of junk from it.  Once we had dumped the contents into the recycling bin, I decided it was time for tea.  A tea break sounded amazing, but tea with cake sounds even better so off to the kitchen I trundled with subtle positive encouragement from mother dearest.  Once there though, I had problems thinking of a cake to make - you see, recently my sister has been on a bit of a diet and I've noticed that my eating habits have not been much better so I wanted to opt for a healthier cake.  I thought of a swiss roll but I really dislike the ones with nothing fresh in them, and I really didn't want to walk to the shops, so I pondered some more... Wouldn't a chocolate cake be amazing with a cherry filling? Mmmm, now there's an idea, maybe a fat free chocolate sponge? That should work!  A brief rumage through my baking draw and out came all the ingredients needed for a chocolate sponge, I'm doing well today it seems. 

Amazingly, the mixture doubled in bulk in the oven and didn't collapse

Normally when I'm home with my parents, my mum, sister and I go to town and take a tea break whilst there.  This usually consists of the mentioned tea and a naughty slice of cake, but since my mama's surgery going to town hasn't been possible, but she's getting stronger everyday so hopefully we'll resume our trips together soon.  In the meantime though tea is taken at home which suits me just as much as it gives me an excuse to get messy in the kitchen.

Morello Cherry Conserve

I do not bake sponges often, but I can confirm that beating eggs with a whisk until tripled in bulk is possible by hand, it's just slightly quicker with an electrical whisk.  I can happily admit I am a sloth at heart, therefore I use a hand blender with a whisk attachement.  I must say though, if you have time on your hands, it's quite satisfying seeing this eggy gloop turn into a beautiful fluffy mass and doing it by hand in my opinion gives it a glossier appearance.  Today is the first time I tried the whisking over a double boiler over a low heat- this is simply a small pan of some gently simmering water with a bowl over the top with the sugar and egg mixture in, gently warming the mixture without burning or scorching it - in this case scrambling it.

So far so good, cherry conserve on one side and buttercream on the other

The scent of chocolate permeating the air is something a cafe can't recreate and moments like this I do cherish.  Mama was right when she said nothing can beat homemade cakes, or homemade anything come to that.  It's not just the taste and texture, it's the whole experience from thinking about what to make to serving your finished creation.  Teatime is just so much more satusfying with homemade goodies- not that I object to the occasional teatime out, some cafes have their own little charm- just look at the Art House Cafe. 

Viola!

I am happy to say that the cake turned out almost perfectly, ignoring the slight incident with the cake refusing to let go of the cooling rack (aka my masquerading grill rack).  After much teasing and coddling, they let go and continued their journey to become one.  At this point, I would love to acknowledge the miraculous ability of icing sugar to hide scars and holes - icing sugar, I commend you.  I would also like to take this opportunity to praise the morello cherry conserve - it was sweet but not overly so with a tart kick which went wonderfully with the chocolate sponge.  Whilst the cake was cooling, I decided coffee was better suitor with chocolate and cherry so out came the cafetiere, and about an hour after my first thought of a tea break popped up, cake and coffee was served.  My verdict? Scrummy and guilt-free as no butter went into the sponge, just a smidgen in the buttercream.  Mum's verdict? She wanted seconds!

That didn't last long...

Chocolate Sponge Cake
(Serves 8)

Ingredients:

• 100g Self-raising flour
• 25g Cocoa
• 4 Large eggs
• 125g Caster sugar
• 85g Icing sugar plus extra to dust
• 40g Butter
• 1tsp Milk approx.
• 2-3Tbsp Cherry (Morello) Conserve

Method:

1. Grease and line the base of two deep sandwich tins (around 20cm) then preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180C/350F.
2. Set a pan of water (about 2cm deep) to a gentle simmer and place a bowl over the top, keeping the heat very low.  Meanwhile, mix the flour and cocoa together until well combined.
3. Add the egg and sugar together in the bowl and whisk until tripled in bulk and thick enough that a trail is left behind when the whisk is lifted.
4. Remove from  the heat, and continue to whisk until cool, about 2 minutes.
5. Fold in the flour and cocoa, divide between the tins and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.  The sponge should spring back when lightly pressed and be beginning to shrink away from the sides.
6. Turn the cakes out to cool and make the buttercream by beating the butter until soft then gradually beating in the icing sugar, thin with some milk and continue beating until all the icing sugar is gone and a smooth buttercream appears. 
7. Before spreading the conserve, give it a stir to loosen it up and spread on one of the sponges then spread the buttercream on the other sponge.  Sandwich the two together then dust with icing.  Don't worry if the sponge appears to be stuck to the rack, coddle it a bit and it will come off intact - if it doesn't icing sugar is a beautiful thing - the cakes's equivalent to concealer.

Not long at all!

La bohème

Today I met up with a new friend I met last Sunday before in church. Having arrived too late for the first service but too early for the next I was left wondering the hall like a little lost soul. I was rescued from sitting in a corner alone pretending I didn't mind by this wonderful person, and somehow carried out a whole conversation whilst being half asleep on my part. Anyway we decided to meet up during the week, and I was struggling to think of a cafe to dawdle the afternoon away that wasn't a Costa or Starbucks. Whilst thinking out loud my colleague at work casually suggested the Art House Cafe situated at Above Bar Street just on the outskirts of the city centre. "What a fantastic idea!" I thought, it has been too long since I gave the place a visit- and I had forgotten what a hidden treasure it is.

The Service Counter

Southampton isn't known for much sadly, and the council have chosen to promote it for it's less than stellar shopping districts and have chosen to strangle art and culture out of it under the guise of the credit crunch. Small businesses have struggled including my lovely cinema Harbour Lights after the announcement that £25,000 was being retracted from out funds. Fortunately the powers that be have decided to keep us open for now and I have faith we will survive in the long run despite the Council's best efforts to screw us over.

Beautiful layout with the option to sit in the window

Going back to my visit though and the rediscovery of the amazingness of The Art House Cafe, I am surprised I don't go there more often.  Then again I am rarely in Southampton so this might explain some things.  Upon entering the cafe, the first impression is of a homey lounge decorated liberally with books, original paintings for sale and Edwardian type chairs and decor.  Everything is beautifully mismatched yet in harmony and even the window display box contains a table and chairs to make a sunny area to enjoy afternoon tea in, ideally located so that the tea (or coffee) drinker may admire the latest work of art created by local artists.  Currently on display is a giant blue spotty teacup sporting a vintage swimsuit draped across its rims and plates of teatime cakes such as angel cakes made from washing up sponges.  Sadly I didn't think to take my mobile out again to snap it up, maybe next time!  My friend and I snabbed a wooden table with elegant high backed chairs and I went up to the service counter to examine the selection.  After much kerfuffle with the drinks selection I chose tea and a scrumptious apricot ginger cake for myself and a pear juice served in a colourful plastic tumbler and chocolate cake for my friend whose order I took from across the not so large space.

My wonderful tea

The service was wonderful as tea was brought out to us at our table.  Here laid another pleasant surprise as the mismatched quirky china were placed out.  My teapot was a black cat! Novel but somehow fitting for such a creative place.  I get the impression they like their cats as lying next to our menu holder (cutely proclaiming "run for love not for profit") was another china cat which turned out to be a quaint sugar pot.  We spent the afternoon there easily enjoying out organic treats, and my teapot I must say gave me plenty of entertainment much to my new friend's amusement I'm sure.  This cafe adopts the view of being green and ethical which I support so strive only to sell organic and fairly traded vegetarian and vegan products.  More importantly, it supports the importance of a good slice of cake and I must say, my slice was delicious in a homey way stuffed with fruit and moist. 

In case you're wondering what the slogan "run for love not profit" means, the Art House Cafe is run purely by volunteers to enable a creative space for artists and cultural people to come to and host multi-diciplinary art events.  The Cafe supports the local community by promoting sustainability, culture and local events as well as non-political environmental groups.  Places like this seem rare these days and I truly think this is a hidden gem, and deserves more attention than it gets.  So if you're ever in need of a quiet place to think, or just need tea this is the place to be.  The prices are cheap and cheerful, the atmosphere relaxed and even the customers are a joy to look at as they flounce in with flowers and wreaths in their hair, closing the door as if to their own home when the street work outside got too noisy. 

Apricot ginger cake in front of the menu holder and sugar cat

Today was fantastic and to top it all off I went to my own cinema home in the evening to watch Inception with some old friends and I have to say this film lives up to the hype.  The film challenged morality, stretched your brain as it tried to take in what the characters were saying and had a sweet plot to boot.  At the bar whilst waiting to drift upstairs to the screen, I saw the group of Art House customers who were in the cafe earlier on buying drinks which brought a smile to my face- so that's where they trundle to when the cafe closes at 5:00!  All in all a fun-filled day I can't wait to repeat!